News Wrapup: 30/4/17

Bethesda has included an interesting image in their E3 press conference invitations. It’s an adorably designed theme park called ‘Bethesdaland’ where each different area represents one of their games. We see Elder Scrolls, Doom, Quake, Fallout, Dishonoured and Prey, but most notably there are two areas that are under construction. It’s likely that this represents two games, that are not part of the mentioned franchises, to be announced at E3 this year.

Opinion: I would love to see one of these turn out to be a new IP from Bethesda but I think that the most likely scenario is that these are sequels to existing franchises. I’m guessing that at least one of these is either a new Wolfenstein game or The Evil Within 2. Wolfenstein: The New Order was released three years ago so it’s probably due for a sequel and we recently heard of job listings posted for ‘Psycho Break 2’, the Japanese title for The Evil Within 2.

Mario and Luigi: Superstar DX rumoured.

A dataminer, who goes by the name of @SciresM on Twitter, claims to have found data suggesting that a title called ‘Mario and Luigi: Superstar DX’ has been registered on the Nintendo eShop. He also states that it’s a 3DS title, like the previous title, Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam Bros., which was released in December of 2015. SciresM says that this sort of leak happens because Nintendo tends to put up data on their servers earlier than they need to and that this is the same way The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD was leaked.

Opinion: Assuming this is a legitimate leak, I wonder if Superstar DX is going to be a new entry in the Mario and Luigi series or a remake of Superstar Saga, which was released on the Gameboy Advance in 2003. I loved the Mario and Luigi RPGs I played but, unless Superstar DX comes out on the Switch, I’ll probably be giving this one a miss.

Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn coming to the Switch.

Developer Saber Interactive’s CEO Matthew Karch has told Nintendo Everything that the sequel to the notoriously bad 1994 game will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. They didn’t confirm whether or not the Wii U version would still be releasing but, as an Indiegogo title, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it meet the same fate as other crowdfunded games, such as Yooka-Laylee and Hollow Knight, who cancelled their Wii U versions in favour of the Switch. Saber, who are also developing NBA Playgrounds which releases on May 9, said that they are also working on a new motocross game and a four player co-op shooter for the Switch.

Opinion: While the Switch is yet to show whether it has the big third part support that everyone desires, I think that the console will be a great home for indie games as it already has a library of some great ones, with more on the way.